Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-04-30
A BLUERIDGE ROMANCE.
The First Husband VALVES Iii, Claim. But , Re.
vengeful Neiehsos Inyokes IN. Cr,nIn.iI.


Raleigh N. c. Corr: New York Herald.
In all the South there is no. more ro.
mantle region than that bevoud the
Blue Ridge mountains, in this State,
where the wolf and the Indian yet play
Their part as i'll the days OF early set.
tlement. In Jackson county a vast
tract OF land is owned bv the Uhero.
KEGS. the eastern band" OF this one.
powcrir. tribe having there their e..
tate.
I'm loyclG lien orcoye in e.e center
ot these Ing, lands :. latter day t.
lustrat'or OF The old adage that truth
Is stranger than fiction" has occurred,
and North Carolina can lay lust ciain.
TO story in real life more romantic
than the famous tale of "Enoch Ar.
den, over which SO many an eve has
grown moist with tears
Senator kope Elias has the dis.
tInctlon oi beng the first Hebrew
who has ever held a seat in the Legis.
lature OF North Carolina. In the
early days OF the century Jacob Hen
ry, II member of the Jewish race and
faith, was returned from the old '.bor.
ough of New Berne, but was not al
lowed To take his seat, il being decided
by an overwhelming vote of the LEXIS
lature that he was not q true be-
Never Henry spoke in his own de.
tense, and his speech, prepared
for hlm by the illustrious William
CASTOR, yet remains as model of
composition and OF vigorous protest
against old prejudices as to religion
and sect. But to Senator Elias no
such barriers We're opposed. He is
the Senator from the far Western dis
trict, and in that district, which en-
braces territory larger than some
OF these United States, is jackson
county. the scene OF our romance.
Seated by II cozy fire the other
night, in committee room in the
Capitol, Senator Elias related the
facts in the case.
He said that in 1862 stal.
wart mountalneer named Ham.
rick, who up to that time had man.
aged to avoid the war and its attend
ant features OF volunteering or being
conscripted, brought q buxom wife with
him from Swain county into Jackson
county, and made his home in this
quiet and lovely cove in the Indian
reservation.
Months passed. The pair were de-
voted. The young wife experienced
all the delights OF a thoroughly primi-
tive existence. Bot this was not to
last. There was a regiment OF Chero-
KEGS in the service of the State, un-
der the command OF old Col. Thomas.
One day an officer of this regiment
returned and found Hamrick in the
cove. The latter was conscripted and
hurried to the front. His wife next
heard from him in Northern Virginia.
Letters were inirequent, messages
seldom came.
In 1864 the wiie-to whom IL pair
OF twins, a boy, and a girl, had been
born-learned that her husband had
that after his name on
the roll OF his company was only that
dreadful entry Missing"
In 1865 the war ended, and with it's
close came to he- the news that her
husband had deserted-gone over to
the enemy. Year after year passed.
The wife kept the vigil OF love and
wearily waited for the missing husband
who never came.
There were wooers enough, and "the
as she was called in the neigh
borhood talk, had what was there
good offers. One patient
over named Bowers. thrice rejected,
and in 1875 won the prize
Of his devotion. He brought his Ell
ects to his wife's home in the cove.
Ten years more passed and 1856 |
,ame. Not one word of the long-lo
irst husband had been heard since the
'eturning soldiers brought news. in
1865, of Hamrick's desertion. True !
Us the wife's devotion was to her Sec
md husband, she had yet warm
'pot III her simple heart for the first, !
md IN her rude, uncultured way she |
wen wove q half-romance out OF the |
,reat and apparently unending mys- |
cry OF his absence.
One bright day last summer q stan.
er came to Bowers home in the cove. |
The place was in most respects like /
t was in 1868, for changes in the |
mountain wilds are made slowly. !
Bowers was not at home. The wife /
vas now a Boxom woman OF fortv |
ears, far tidier in appearance and |
With much more natural grace and |
than the average woman
n that section. The stranger asked
Gho lived there. He was told 1.-THE
Bowers family" In a hosDitable
manner he was asked into the house,
'here presently came to their mother
wo children, one OF six and the 9TH
r of nine years.
At dinner time the family received
wo more additions-a young man
nd young woman about twenty
hree years OF age, exceedingly alike
D faceand manner. The stranger ask
d, "Who are ethese?""They are Ham.
icks," was the reply of thegood wife:
my children by my first husband
'eople in the mountains in many
ases love TO talk-in fact, are not in
garrulous-and in half an
our the wife had told the story of her
rst marriage and the deep mystery
'hich had ended it. The stranger lis.
ened attentively, and Just as the
tory was concluded Bowers himself
anne in.
A Aneighbor came in and soon learn
l the story too. The wife BUSTED
bout OF course, excited. but not in
ears. Hamrick and Bowers talked to-
ether.
The neishbors, after the manner oi
eiahbors all the world over, told the
aua m ,,aonla wit hin raorh anI nayt